The Strife of a Locked Heart
by Caramel Sweetness
Summary: SephirothxTifaxCloud & CloudxYuffiexVincent triangles. The summery's in my profile.
1. Chapter 1

**The Strife of a Locked Heart**

_Note: First time making a fan fic and I'm excited! Well...I take that back because I know people can be harsh sometimes when reviewing. I'm a BIG fan of Tifa! This fic pretty much revolves around her, and I would say would be better suited for Tifa fans. (Otherwise you might get bored pretty quickly.) Cloud and Tifa pairings are good, but don't let the title fool you, this fic isn't exactly for CloTi cults (meaning fans who are strictly about Cloud and Tifa pairings only). They might have there moments in this fic, but I doubt my unsettling ways will turn this into a CloTi.  
I'm open to MANY couples. I like Tifa with Vincent but I just might make this into a Sephiroth x Tifa fic.. And don't hate me but I LOVE/ADORE/WORSHIP Yuffie x Cloud pairings! So...I'm going to have a go at that as well._

_: First time making a fan fic and I'm excited! Well...I take that back because I know people can be harsh sometimes when reviewing. I'm a BIG fan of Tifa! This fic pretty much revolves around her, and I would say would be better suited for Tifa fans. (Otherwise you might get bored pretty quickly.) Cloud and Tifa pairings are good, but don't let the title fool you, this fic isn't exactly for CloTi cults (meaning fans who are strictly about Cloud and Tifa pairings ). They might have there moments in this fic, but I doubt my unsettling ways will turn this into a CloTi.I'm open to MANY couples. I like Tifa with Vincent but I just might make this into a Sephiroth x Tifa fic.. And don't hate me but I LOVE/ADORE/WORSHIP Yuffie x Cloud pairings! So...I'm going to have a go at that as well._

_Anyway. Disclaimer : I don't own Final Fantasy VII. AC. Or DoC. Don't try to sue cuz I ain't claimin' nothin'._

_Hope the first chapter's enjoyable!_

_  
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_Chapter 1 : " Day Dreaming "_

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Warm colors of the setting sun illuminated the sector four "Seventh Heaven". Golden shades of red, white, orange, and yellows spiraled down through crystal glass windows, dancing in a sad sort of circular motion across the wooden furnished floorboard of the bar, indicating that darkness was only a matter of minutes away. Far in the back corner of the room, two women stood in complete silence on opposite ends of an ebony colored counter. One was seated comfortably on a stool, using a pitcher to fill the cup placed in front of her with fresh lemonade, while the other woman busied herself by tiding up the bar.

Wide, orchid eyes rose up from the glass cup, meeting with the back of the older woman. Her eyes went from the bar tender's lean muscular arms to her hair, swinging dramatically with each violent scrub she made at the invisible stains that she claimed were on the polished countertop.

"Tifa, you need another haircut." The young ninja stated, somewhat irritated by the long, sleek strands of charcoal and copper silk, draping down past the martial artist's small alabaster shoulders and inching below her hips

The bar hostess responded with a light, 'mmh', which could have meant one of two things. One, she was not listening, or two, she did not care.

"And when are you gonna liven up this place, huh? It seems so...dead around here!"

Tifa continued cleaning the counter, dipping the rag into a bucket every so often.

"You'd have more waaaaay more customers if this place wasn't such a dump heap! I mean, I know this is the Midgar slums and all... but not everything's gotta be so grey, black, and white around here all the time!"

"Mmh."

The Wutaian princess was irked further.

"Are you listening? I'm telling ya! Add a little color! Paint the walls pink! Put in some yellow drapes! Gawd! Get a radio! A moogle! ---or--a dancing chocobo! Something! Anything!"

She looked to the martial artist, whose back was still facing her.

"Soooo boring..." The ninja said exasperated, stirring the ice in her cup with the clear plastic straw placed between her long, pale, slender fingers, "Unbelievable...the great ninja Yuffie would never be caught dead at a dump like this!"

The bar hostess smiled softly at the spunky woman's remark. She couldn't have said it better. Things around the bar were pretty dull. She had thought of remodeling about a dozen times. She, Marlene, and Denzel had once even drawn out a couple of ideas for the bar with crayons and paper.

Denzel suggested green and blue as the new theme colors of the bar while Marlene said that pink and purple would be nicer. She wanted flowers and beaded doorways decorated all over the bar; he said her idea was dumb and that sliding doors were much more traditional and lamps hanging from the ceiling would give perfect lighting and add warmth to the bar. He then said country music playing would set a good atmosphere in the bar, while she argued that country music was "sooo white trash" and that pop would be far better choice. Exchanging ideas quickly turned to exchanging insults; talking changed into arguing, and arguing into fighting.

Tifa was almost sure she would have to whip out Premium Heart before separating the two when Cloud sort of broke into the argument by suggested a new widescreen T.V. for the bar...or maybe it was for himself. Tifa wasn't sure. But with the space cleared between them, it did make the two realize how ridiculous they had been acting. They exchange rather awkward apologies and the four of them shared a heartfelt laugh.

It was at that moment that Tifa felt it was truly the happiest she had been in a years. Seeing the four of them together, talking, laughing, arguing, agreeing, and disagreeing. It was all the elements that almost made them, what she most desired, a family. Though she wasn't exactly sure how good of a mother she would be, or if in fact she could raise children to be emotionally healthy, considering her conditions and that of her "ideal suitor". However, the thought of settling down and having a family sure beat the hectic events that happened the year before.

It had been exactly a year and five months since she and the members of Avalanche had aided their mysterious red caped friend at the sector six Shinra building. She knew very little of Vincent's situation and all though she was more than curious to know the details, once the Wutaian ninja mentioned him saying something about facing off the demons of his past Tifa backed off completely. God only knew, everyone has one of those.

Thinking back, everything in the last year seemed to happen so fast.

It all began with a call on her PHS from Cid Highwind, the captain of the world's largest and most difficult to pilot airship. Shortly followed by Barret Wallace (Marlene's adopted father and the man who had pulled together a small band of mercenaries called Avalanche) driving up to the bar in his truck, shouting something about heading out to sector six. Moments later, she found herself seated next to him in the passenger's seat, riding down the concrete road of sector four to the dirt pavement of sector five. Within an hour, the dreaded Shinra building was in sights. Seeing it had stirred so many old feeling and memories, fears and broken dreams.

But then, he came. Pulling up beside them on Fenrir was Cloud Strife (an ex-soldier and her childhood friend), a steady sort of look on his unreadable features. He had done some growing since the previous year. What with seeing his arch enemy reincarnated and getting a glimpse of the love of his life who was murdered in cold blood. She felt a sort of comfort from seeing the sober face of the one she admired most. Just knowing that he shared some of her fears and thoughts was enough to give her strength for the battle ahead. His presents seemed to give her that feeling of understanding. Maybe that, aside from his good looks, was what attracted her to him so much.

As fast as the moment came, it went. Missals went off. WRO members glided down from the skies. Cid's new Airship, "the Shera" had been struck and the pissed captain could be heard on the communicators cursing up a storm Shera herself would have been disappointed to hear. (Since the announcement of their engagement a few months previous, he had done surprisingly well in watching his language, and all in the name of his love for Shera.) Then, life stream blasted off into the air. Yuffie (the daughter of the ruler of Wutai) was off in a frenzy looking for the dark haired gunman, who had taken off without her while she was still airsick on "the Shera". It was then that Chaos took off into the skies after Omega, followed by a bright light that illuminated the night skies...

Peace was once again restored to the planet and man kind. "Same shit, different smell," as Cid had once put it. Tifa agreed.

Fast forwarding, six months later, eleven months ago, Reeve (the former Shinra member) had found a loving family for Denzel in Junon. Marlene and Denzel had said a rather long, yet sad goodbye before the brunette went his way with the president of the WRO. Two months later the restoration of Correl had been completed. Barret came to Midgar with the wonderful news and Tifa was quite happy for him. But soon her heart was filled with grief at the realization that he hadn't come all the way from Correl just to tell them that. He had come to take Marlene back to the place of her birth. Once again, she and Cloud said their farewells to another one of their temporarily adopted children and from that day on, the bar never seemed the same to Tifa. She often had her ups and downs, but she always did her absolute best to not let it show in her work. She still had a bar to run and a friend who depended on her to answer phone calls and schedule appointments for his delivery service.

A little over eight months pasted, Cloud was often gone on business trips, as he usually was. Only now Tifa was beginning to feel the full depth of loneliness' claws. Business was more than fine, but she couldn't remember Cloud's trips being so long. Or maybe they only appeared to be that way because she was often alone….

Tifa was left with far too much time alone to think. Self pity began to rear its ugly little head and she soon begun to mourn all her losses, recent and long forgotten in the past. Maybe it wouldn't have all seemed so bad, if only she hadn't been so stubborn and just picked up the phone and called someone. Doing something as simple as calling up Shera to see how the married life with Cid was could have made all the difference. Or perhaps even a chatter box like Yuffie to get her mind focused on something else rather than herself. No, Tifa needed someone to listen to her for once, not the other way around. She was so tired of listening to others. She had kept things bottled up for so long that it was only a matter of time before it all came out. But the timing was just all off….. Perhaps things would have turned out the way they did no matter what. Now, she would never know. She had become mentally broken and physically drained from her thoughts. She just wasn't herself when it happened.

It was one morning a couple weeks back that Cloud had yet to return from a recent delivery trip to Icicle Inn. Tifa woke up but couldn't bring herself to get up out of bed. She felt paralyzed, like she did on that same day ten years ago after Sephiroth had cut her across her torso. No matter how she tried, she just felt too helpless and weak to find the strength to move. The bar had remained closed that day.

Later on that night, Cloud returned but seeing him didn't cheer her up like it usually did after he had been gone on long business trips. She found herself disgusted with the both of them and how their lives had turned out. He was her best friend and god only knew how much she loved him, but she couldn't argue with the fact that he was still the same hard headed, emotionally retarded, stubborn jack ass she had found four years ago in the Midgar sector seven train station. He was already twenty-five years old and without a girlfriend. Who knew if he ever even had one. Point being, maybe if he had one it would help her get over him quicker. Maybe….

But it was always the same game, year after year. Little hints that may indicate that he had feelings for her that surpassed friendship, then big disappointing reminders that he loved Aerith and may still to this very day yearn for her. She was no better. Twenty-four years old, and she was still too much of a coward to tell the man she loved what was in her heart.

Seeing her lying motionless in bed, Cloud became a little concerned so he had asked her how she was feeling. Suddenly, she snapped at him. He raised his defenses, she cornered him, he accused, she blamed, and the conversation had become heated. Although….she couldn't remember for the life of her what they were disputing.

Tifa had never once argued with Cloud. She had seen him quarrel with Aerith from time to time, which she knew was normal and healthy for a relationship, but just knowing that she had not once had disagreed with the man she loved was what she valued most about their friendship. Regardless of how careless or selfish his decisions seemed at times, she always stuck by and supported him one hundred percent. By the time their argument had reached to it limit, Tifa felt that they had nothing left. No equal romantic interest in one another, no family, no friendship. Things only took a turn for the worse from there-

"Well things couldn't get any duller around here..." Yuffie murmured, "You might as well close early."

Thick, full lashed fluttered rapidly with confusion as caramel eyes blinked back into reality. Tifa mentally scolded herself for letting her thoughts go as far as they did before turning her head towards the ninja girl sitting at the counter. She had a look of absolute boredom set over her features and was absently blowing into the straw, causing small bubbles to form in the glass of lemonade.

After a moment Tifa smiled, tossing the rag aside and turning on the faucet to rinse her hands.

"You're right..."

Yuffie almost choked on her straw.

"R-really?"

Tifa nodded, drying her hands off with her black apron, "I'm closing up. Wanna help me?"

"Ha! Haaaa!!" The ninja exclaimed, jumping to her feet and racing across the room to the front door, "I take back all the things I said about you being a boring ol' hang with big tits and no brain!"

"You said what!?" Tifa said placing her hands on her hips while scowling at the girl with slate colored haired.

Eventually the bar hostess just shook it off and chuckled, shutting off the T.V., behind her. The ninja warrior was too carefree at the moment to put up an argument and she herself was far too tired to start one. So she'd let it go….for now.

Twisting the lock on the front door, Yuffie looked up to see a pair walking up towards the front porch of the bar. She smiled naughtily, placing the closed sign over the window while dimming the lights in the bar.

"Yuffie, what are you---"

"Shh!" She coaxed Tifa, shutting off the lights completely.

Tifa looked confused at the young woman who ducked down to the floor and began crawling across towards the counter by her side.

"Get down!" She hissed, pulling Tifa down by her arm.

"What do you think you're doing!?"

"Shhhh!!" She hushed, clapping her hand over the older woman's mouth.

After a moment, light taping came from the door.

"Tifa! Tifa, are you home!?" The gentle voice of a child called.

Tifa smacked her forehead, "I forgot! Barret said he had some business to take care of at the Wall Market and he was dropping Marlene off at the bar!"

"Damn Tifa, you're getting old."

"Hey! It was a week ago when he told me this! And I--- I've had a lot on my mind recently…."

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, let's have a little fun..." She said rubbing her hands together.

"What are you talking about?"

The Wutaian tried to cross the room with as much stealth as possible.

"You go lock the back door. I'm going to lock all the windows." She whispered.

"Yuffie!!" Tifa tried to call as quietly as she could.

She nearly smacked herself again. Why was she playing along? Talking in a hushed tone? This was ridiculous! And she wouldn't take no part in it!

"Please Tifa, pleeeeaase..." Yuffie begged, clasping her hands together for emphasis, "Help me get Barret back for pantsing me at Cloud's birthday party!"

Tifa bit her lower lip, thinking it over.

Although, Barret was extremely drunk and said he didn't remember pantsing the poor ninja girl at the party, he did comment that he wished he did so he could remember the look on her stupid face when he did it and he began to burst out with laughter. Which, Tifa felt, was not right. Yuffie was really embarrassed…..once Cid had told her about it the next day, that is... Yuffie was quite drunk that night as well and needed a little help remembering everything. Which was why she didn't know why she woke up with her "flat ass" in the air, as Cid had put it.

As the rest of the story goes, Yuffie was trying to get Vincent to dance with her at Cloud's birthday party. He walked off while she started 'getting her grove on' and Cid commented that she couldn't look any dumber dancing by herself in the middle of the room. Barret had laughed, saying she could. A couple of minute had passed before Yuffie realized the lower half of her body was completely exposed. 

She struggled to pull her pants up, but as luck had it, sickness from the alcohol was finally settling in and she only managed to slip her green thongs loosely below her hips. When she noticed the gun armed man laughing at her, she attempted to chase him but tripped over her shorts (which were still settled beneath her ankles) and landed face first, butt in the air, passed out.

Feeling it would only be right (god forbid if Yuffie tried to get Barret back in her own mischievous ways) Tifa nodded in agreement. She heaved a heavy sigh, almost not believing she was going to do this. Surely Barret would be furious with her. She began to crawl off towards the back door, barley missing the sly smile on the thief's face who repositioned herself, sitting laid back on the stairs.

Once she made it into dark room in the back of the bar, Tifa stood to her feet. Feeling a slight chill, she looked down, noticing her black skirt was running up her thighs (which was a really big pet peeve of hers), she grabbed the leather material by the hem and carefully pulled them back over her mid thigh. Suddenly, she heard heavy boots clanking loudly outside the bar.

She froze.

Had Barret already found the back entrance to the bar? Almost no one knew of it…...

The clanking became louder and soon she could hear the person on the other side of the door feeling around for the handle in the dark.

Shaking off the fear of getting caught, Tifa dashed for the doorknob, her fingertips only inches away from the lock when suddenly the door was thrust open. The toes of her shoes lost contact with the floor and she found herself falling forward, her face drawing closer to the cold rubble surface.

Snaking around her curvaceous frame, his hand locked over her left arm, just a few centimeters above of her elbow, and her chest impacted against the rock of a pillow the man had provided to soften her fall. She winced, bringing her hand up to rest on the man's muscular bicep. Tifa looked down past her dangling hair, seeing between the long dark seas of coal and cerise, not brown combat boots, but a pair of black leather ones. The moments continued to pass as they stood frozen in that position.

Finally, the man broke the silence between them.

"Tifa? What are you doing?"

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_Notes: First chappie done. How was it?_

_It was mainly a little filler-in. A year passes, blah, blah, blah. All that good stuff._

_I will try to up date as often as I can. My boyfriend takes up a lot of my free time and he just recently got sick. I feel sorry for him, but men are just plain out babies. "Take care of me, baby", "my head hurts", "ouch! You know my body's extra sensitive when I'm sick!!", "I'm sore all over!", "Give me a massage…". "Ouch!! Don't give me a message!!"_

_Arg...I'm just venting. Please ignore me. (And if any guys read that, I wasn't including you when I said "men". ') _

_Please R & R!_


	2. Chapter 2

The Strife of a Locked Heart

  
_Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Sorry it took so long. My boyfriend got over his cold and all, but as soon as I got started on chapter he got the flu from one of his nieces and passed it over to me. I got a week off from school because of it, so I've been piled to my knees in make up work and homework. It's the truth! I wasn't being lazy! I'd admit to something like that!!  
A note about this fic: the way that I will bring Sephiroth back might be a little strange….. I ran it through my little sister and she was like, "umm, maybe you should switch it up a little. That's kind of weird."  
Well, it's my story and if I have my heart set on bringing him back a strange way then that's what I'm going to do, darn it! I don't know if anyone else has done it this way. If they have then I won't feel so alone!) _

_Once again, Disclaimer : I don't own Final Fantasy VII. AC. Or DoC. If I did….I'd probably have some pretty whacked out couples. Lol._

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Chapter 2 : "Confrontation"

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"Tifa? What are you doing?"

She did not need to look up to know whose arms were wrapped so securely around her. But she did anyways.

"Cloud…."

His name escaped past lips she did not remember parting and the moment their eyes met all of Tifa's worries and troubles that had built up in the last two months were briefly forgotten. Instead of the constant qualms she had about the success of Cloud's delivery business and unrelated nightmares that constantly plagued her in her dreams, her mind began to intake his striking features.

She had nearly forgotten how attractive she found his lean yet muscular form, and how his wild, flexion hair complimented his golden tanned skin, or how flawless his chiseled face was. And those enchanting eyes that she had become lost in… She had nearly forgotten that specific shade of blue. She had seen many beautiful blue eyes throughout her lifetime, but non like his. There were eyes so light blue that they could blend into the brightest of skies, then there were eyes so dark blue like the heavens during a storm, and then some like ice, so cold and nearly pallid, then there was the frequent grey-blue eyes, aquamarine, and ocean blues. Cloud's, on the other hand, were like sapphires.

Even though the mako glow had completely vanished from his eyes they were, none the less, as beautiful and intense as ever.

"Tifa!" Marlene called, coming around from the outside of the bar.

A crimson flush burned through ashen cheeks and all at once the martial artist staggered to her feet, stepping back while regaining her composure.

"Tifa!!" She said from behind the swordsman.

Tifa turned to the eight year old who was now in clear view. Greeting her with a warm smile, she stretched out two welcoming arms.

"Marlene!"

The brunette threw her petite arms around the older woman's back, resting her head on her foster mother's bare arm.

"You've grown since I last saw you.…." She remarked, running her fingers tenderly over the pink ribbon and through her short ponytail.

She looked up at her with big amber eyes, a wide grin on her youthful features.

"I missed you, Tifa!" She cried before burying her face into Tifa's black vest.

"I know…. I missed you too."

She looked from the top of the child's caramel head to Cloud who was leaning against the wall. His arms were crossed over his chest and he had his head tilted downwards, all the while his eyes were closed and his jaw slightly clenched.

Tifa was disappointed to see him like this. That stance reminded her very much of Cloud in his post Meteor days. It was a trade mark position he used when he felt closed off from others, or when he would try to block out everyone around him. Hopefully, he was acting up because he was uncomfortable in her presents. As insulting as the thought seemed, she preferred that to be the case over him returning to his cold, detached manner.

"Where's Barret?" She spoke first, knowing he would not.

"At the Wallmarket," He responded, not bothering to look up.

"Oh," Was she said before smiling down at Marlene, "Are you spending the night here, Marlene?"

Looking up to the taller woman, the girl seemed to be taken aback by the question and Tifa was somewhat hurt that the thought hadn't voluntarily slipped into the child's mind.

"Papa told me I could only visit for a little while," She answered, a gloomy sort of look darkening over her little face, "He said we have to head home tonight…."

Tifa squatted down to the child's level, wrapping her arms around her knees while rocking herself so that she was leaning forward slightly.

"I'll have no such thing!" She protested, raising her index finger while waving it in Marlene's face (who backed away with slight fear), "Don't you both know that it's dangerous to travel after dark! Well, I'll just have to talk some sense into that man once he gets here!"

Puzzled by the martial sudden change of mood, Marlene continued to watch her as she spoke before all at once going into a giggling frenzy. Though you couldn't exactly tell by her tone, Tifa was not scolding her. A wide, toothy grin was plastered over her face and one thing that very few people noticed about the dark haired beauty was that she hardly ever smiled with her teeth. Even fewer knew that she was rather...self-conscious about her smile, and the fact that she sported such a carefree smirk was proof enough to Marlene that she was only having fun with her.

She nodded in agreement, adding a soft, "Right…"

"Well, I'm famished! How about you?"

"Yeah!!"

"Let's get started on dinner then!" She suggested, giving her back a small pat before shoving her lightly in the direction of the bar.

The child skipped off carelessly while humming a merry little tune on her way out the doorway; leaving the two childhood companions alone in the storage room.

Pushing herself up to her feet, Tifa turned to Cloud only to find him staring at her. She gave him one of her, "welcome home Cloud", smiles, before turning her back to leave.

She knew he hated when she gave him that, "silent guilt trip" as he called it, and though her smiles were never intended to cause such feelings, she did not find it necessary to stop on his behalf. He deserved to feel any sort of guilt or shame for leaving without saying a simple goodbye or even calling to let her know that he was alright. What was this? The seventh….eighth time, now? Tifa never kept track because normally she was never one to hold a grudge or count one's faults. This time, however was unforgivable.

"You seem to light up when Marlene's around." He stated somewhat bitterly.

She stood in place, pondering his words.

"Is there anything wrong with that?"

There was a long pause before he answered with a curt, "No."

"Well, then. I'm going to start on dinner. You're always welcome to join us." She said, taking her leave.

"Tifa, we need to talk."

She stopped dead in her tracks. He wanted to talk? Omega must have gathered the Lifestream and taken off into the galaxy because never in a cold day in hell would Cloud Strife say he wanted to talk.

"Oh….. What is it?" She asked, crossing her arms.

As if she didn't already know.

"I was thinking about what happened."

She turned to face him, rather shocked that he had stated it so bluntly. The Cloud she knew would usually beat around the bush before getting to his point.

"You were thinking about it? When? Before or after you left without saying a word to me?"

"I—I'm sorry. I had to clear my head."

She stepped a little closer to peer at him. It was as if she was having a hard time seeing something.

"What? Cloud Strife, apologizing? It really must be a cold day in hell."

"That's not funny."

"I wasn't trying to be."

"Then where are you getting at?"

"You're different, somehow."

"Will you listen. I came back because while I was away, I had some time to think it over."

"You're not acting like yourself."

"I was a coward, I know…."

"It couldn't be..."

"But I've decided….that I want to make it up to you."

"Your words, your actions…"

"I want to make up for lost time."

"No doubt it is...…."

"Tifa? Are you listening to me?"

"You must be…..another Sephiroth clone."

"**Tifa**!"

She jumped. She had become so wrapped up in her thoughts she hadn't taken a single word he said to heart.

"What the hell's wrong with you? I never heard you say such stupid things!"

She caught herself. She felt very ashamed for mixing up her dreams with reality. Sephiroth was dead, there was no questioning that. There was absolutely no way he would ever come back. She had no reason to make such ridiculous accusations towards Cloud, even though the night up until this point was very, 'deja vu'…… He was right. Gods, she was acting like a down right lunatic!

"Tifa, what's this about?" He demanded, pushing himself up and away from the wall.

She looked up, her face only inches away from his. She jerked away, feeling a sudden need for personal space.

"And you said I'm acting weird." He said, chuckling at the sight of her rosy cheeks.

She turned from him, striding away quickly.

"Where are you going?"

"We can talk about this after dinner!" She called back.

He slumped back against the wall, running his fingered through his blonde spikes. Gods, he was confused again. He knew exactly what he came to say and yet he couldn't bring himself to say it. What the hell was his problem? What was hers? He had never seen her this way before. Her eyes when she looked at him were different, that sparkle and determined smile that brought cheer to his soul so many times had vanished completely. She looked at him with such boredom, with such a lack of enthusiasm or…….dare he say it?

His hands began to shake. No, he didn't dare to even think it.

Was he afraid he was making a mistake?

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It was in the middle of the chicken and egg Oyakodon that Barret made his arrival. While he pounded away at the door of the Seventh heaven, the two women bickered over who should let him in. Answering the door for Barret was risky business. Ninety percent of the time, he was in a foul mood after being in a long business meeting. Tifa reasoned that Marlene couldn't do it because she could be seriously injured and Cloud had not given an answer or even made an excuse (though Tifa knew he would not admit it, she was positive it was because he could hardly dodge the door whenever the Avalanche member made his grand entry). In turn, Yuffie had been the one to answer the door, after Tifa threaten to take the damaged inflicted from Barret's profound beating out of the ninja girl's pockets.

Though the door was now opened, Barret gave it one last shove, hitting the poor girl in the process and knocking her over.

"Took ya Goddamn long 'nough to answer the fuckin' door!!" He snapped, taking a seat besides Tifa.

"Hello Barret," Tifa greeted.

"Yo, Teef! Thanks for watching my little girl!" He said, wrapping his good arm around his foster daughter.

"Papa!" She whined, feeling as if her scrawny neck caught in his forearm would snap, "You're hurting me!!"

"Oh, sorry darlin'." He laughed nervously, loosening his grip.

"So, what kind of business did you have to handle at the Wallmarket?" Tifa asked, breaking the ice.

"Someone I know owed me. Figured I'd do a lil' tradin' while I was at it. Correl could use batteries that don't use no mako energy."

"I see… Help yourself." Tifa invited.

"Gack! No thanks!" He said, not bothering to look twice at the Oyakodon, "I like a lotta meat on my plate! I ain't no rice an' noodle kinda person!"

"Papa……" Marlene said, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"What? That shit jus' don't taste right—"

"Hey you big lummox!! You took my spot!!" Yuffie cried once she recovered from a good bash in the face.

"Shut yo skinny ass up!! I'll be leavin' in a minuet!"

The slender woman continued to hold the much bigger man's gaze. There was obviously still hostility between the two and Tifa was certain it wasn't just because he hit her with the door. She could see that Yuffie was fighting for self control by the way her teeth creaked under the pressure of her clenched jaw and how her bunched up firsts began to shake.

"……fine!" She hissed, taking a seat next to Cloud.

Tifa had to admit, she was impressed that the Wutaian princess had grown up so much. That defiantly earned her a little respect in her book.

"About that, Barret," Tifa began, "I was thinking… What if you and Marlene stay the night? It would probably be safer to travel in the morning anyway."

"Sorry, Teef," Barret apologized, "No can do. Got an appointment wit' the reps from Gold Saucer t'morrow. We got plans to build a lil' theme park fo' the kids in Corel."

"Okay…. What if she spends the night and I personally return her to you by the end of this week."

"Yeah!" Marlene agreed, clapping her hands together, "Please daddy! Pleeeeease!?!"

Barret looked unsure at first.

"Well….. if it ain't too much trouble…."

"No trouble at all!" Tifa cut it, smiling down at the brunette.

"Well, then…. I don't see no harm in it." He said, giving in.

A rather loud, 'a hem', came from the far corner of the table.

All eyes went to Cloud, whose gaze was fixated on Tifa.

"Well, if ain't mr. big-time, ex-Soldier himself! Whachya been up to, spiky ass! Don't got shit to say to a ol' friend!?"

The blonde's lips did not move or even quirk in response to the gun armed man's friendly greeting, nor did his eyes leave the bar hostess.

Yuffie looked from Cloud to Tifa and back again.

"You got a problem with Tifa or something?"

Tifa turned her eyes from the little girl to look at Cloud, who was indeed watching her with stern eyes. As tempted as she was to return his challenging gaze, she tore her eyes from his and gathered the closest bowls within arms reach. There would be no confrontation at her table, not tonight. Marlene was here and she should enjoy her stay, however long or short that would be.

"Is everyone finished? Good!"

"Hey! I wasn't done with that!" Yuffie cried, reaching her hand out for the lost bowl.

"I have dessert if anyone wants strawberry cheesecake!" Tifa called from the kitchen.

"………okay." She said, sitting back in her seat.

After a moment Tifa returned with the plates. Unintentionally, she served Cloud last. The intense atmosphere between the two was becoming more evident, which was beginning to make the others slightly uncomfortable.

"Dig in everybody!" Tifa said, taking the first bite a little too quickly and enthusiastically.

Everyone sat in the midst of an awkward silence as Marlene and Tifa ate their individual slices of cake. Their eyes would wonder around the bar, stopping every so often on the Nibelheim friends.

"Stop avoiding me," Cloud said abruptly, startling most everyone at the table,  
"This is childish, Tifa."

"I don't know what you mean, Cloud." She answered in a calm, controlled tone.

"I **believe**," He emphasized, "You said we would talk **after** dinner. You never said **anything** about dessert."

"It can wait a little longer…."

"It's been put off long enough. We can't just keep running away from our problems."

"You're the one that keeps running away from your problems, Cloud. Not me." She said between bites.

"Why don't you just listen to what I have to say?"

"Go right ahead then."

He bit his lip, feeling all eyes on him. Was she serious?

"I'm waiting."

No, of course she wasn't. She was mocking him.

"Well?" She pressed on.

He cleared his throat, motioning with his lips, "Not here."

"What's that? I couldn't hear you."

"I said not here, goddamn it!!"

"Get a hold of yourself, Cloud."

"Stop trying to make me look like the bad guy, Tifa! You played a part in this too!"

"Again, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I mean it, Teef. Don't play games."

"You're one to talk," She laughed, "You are the master of all games."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said."

"So, you running away from me isn't a game?"

His words struck a nerve that caused her to all at once lose her cool.

"Well…I guess what goes around comes around!"

"What?"

"You're the one who's always running away, Cloud! Ask anyone here!! You play this, 'poor me, I don't know what to do so I'll go away for a while'. And you expect everyone to leave you alone until you're ready to come back whenever the hell you feel like it!"

"I already told you I was sorry!"

"Why should I listen to you?!

"It's different now! Everything's changed and I can't just ignore it!!" He shouted, standing to his feet, "Hell, I've tried! But here I am! This has become a lot more serious than you're taking it! You can't just go on with your life like nothing ever happened!!"

"The hell I can't!!"

"So, you really don't care about what happened then!"

"I really don't care, Cloud!"

"If that's how you really feel then say it again! But know that I won't come back!"

"I don't care Cloud! I don't care!! I'm sick of this and I'm sick of you! I've waited patiently for you for almost five years now! I'm done! Through with waiting for you!! So, go already! Leave!!!"

The room became deathly still. Tifa looked back at Cloud, who stood with his jaw dropped and is eyes wide with disbelief. It was as if he received a slap across the face and still was trying to process the shock. She looked away, feeling somewhat satisfied. She had finally said it. She had finally confessed to him and to everyone else how she had felt after all those years of ,'Cloud plays ring around the rosy with Tifa's emotions' and it felt……absolutely wonderful! Tifa Lockheart no longer needed Cloud to go on with her life. It sounded so much sweeter coming out of her mouth than it did in her head.

Barret suddenly stood to his feet, taking Marlene by the arm and leading her towards the door.

"Damn, you guys got some issues! I dunno what the hell happened between you two but I don't want Marlene seein' it."

Tifa pushed her chair back, standing to her feet.

"Barret, please wait! This is nothing! Cloud was just about to leave!"

"Don't speak for me, Tifa!" Cloud barked.

She ignored him, "Please Barret…? Let Marlene stay. Just for tonight. Cloud and I are through talking."

"What do you mean? We haven't even begun!"

"You said you were going to leave!!"

"That was before you opened a whole other subject!"

"I did no such thing!!"

"I don't got time fo' this shit!!!!" Barret snapped, "Yall's obviously got a lot of shit to talk 'bout! So act like adults and talk 'bout your damn problems already!!"

The room went silent again. Barret motioned for his daughter to walk with him out the door. She turned to look at her foster mother one last time.

"Tifa!" She called almost desperately.

Tifa looked up, catching sight of the child before she disappeared into the dark night outside of the bar. Knowing she could still see her, she smiling weakly, waving her arm as the door closed behind them. Her hands dropped to her side. No motion was made in the bar for quite some time.

"Happy?" Tifa asked Cloud before sprinting up the stairs.

"Tifa!" Cloud called, taking off after her.

Yuffie watched as the blonde chased the other woman across the bar and up the stairs. Moments later, she heard a door slam, followed by a series of pounding.

"Tifa! Open up!"

No response. Again,

"Tifa!!"

Yuffie leaned back in her seat, thinking, with much disappointment, 'He had not caught up to her in time'.

It was such a shame. She was more than sure she could have ear hustled from the other side of Tifa's door, providing that he caught her.

'Which he didn't…' She noted with a slight frown on her face.

She began to fidget with a fork off to her side, running her finger along it as she debated with herself. Barret was right, something definitely happened between those two. Never before had she found the relationship between Cloud and Tifa's to be too interesting, seeing how she never figured they were anything other than "just friends". But….something was different. She had never seen the quarrel so…..she had never seen them quarrel, period. It was about as rare as seeing Sephiroth in a skirt!

Ok………..bad analogy. 'And defiantly disturbing…' she added with a cringe.

Her curiosity was perked. She absolutely had to know what was going on between the two of them!

A cocky sort of grin tugged at the corner of her lips and she picked up the fork.

'This should be interesting' she though, scooping up a piece of cheesecake and bringing it into her mouth. Her taste buds detected a hint of oyakodon in that bite and slowly, the smirk on her face turned into a grimace as she looked down at the fork with disgust.

"Oh gawd!!" She gagged, dropping the silverware, "I used Cloud's fork!!"

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_Note: Ahh!. I don't really like this chapter... It's a little on the Cloud/Tifa side. Which, I don't mind AT ALL, I rather like the pairing… but I didn't intend to put much CloTi in this fic. This is going to be purely a SephTi!! _

_I need to get the parts with them over with so that Sephiroth can come in. That probably won't make sense until a little later... I'm also really looking forward to pairing Cloud with Yuffie!! _

_Hope others found in enjoyable. Please R&R!!._


	3. Chapter 3

**The Strife of a Locked Heart **

Note: I can never thank the reviewers enough! Thank you all!!

Couple of notes before I begin. To**Amaranthos :** I want to especially thank you! Thank you, thank you SO much for your reviews! I love them so very much! They are always very up lifting to the wanna-be-writer inside my soul! They encourage me to write even when I feel down on my chapters! Your words make me want to try my absolute best, even when I had the flu!  
To** Silent Comet : **It is rather angsty…isn't it? Sorry... I never noticed, even the title is a bit angsty. Again my apologies. This fic is supposed to draw Tifa away from Cloud. Since there have been official statements that Aerith will never be brought back to life (which I think is bullshit) it is left for people to believe that Cloud and Tifa are the official couple of FF7 (at least, that's what my brothers say). I always pictured that for Tifa to get over Cloud it would be quite difficult and at times she would feel down right depressed (I know I would if I waited for a man as long as I made her wait for Cloud). So, anyway, I'll try to lay off the angsty, thanks for the review!

Oh, this chapter may be a little angsty in the beginning and I figured the rating might have to go up a little because of it as well. This is bad… now that it's rated "M" I might take advantage…. Hee…hee….

Again, Disclaimer : I don't own Final Fantasy VII. AC. Or DoC. I could only dream…..

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Chapter 3 : "Nightmare"

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Leather boots crunched in the snow as the coal haired woman raced across a crystal white graveyard of bare bushes and trees branches. Her breath hitched every so often, causing her to gag for deep breaths of air that her lungs desperately ached for. She felt the warmth of blood beneath her hand as it seeped between her fingers, running down from her torso and dripping down her legs. Why was there so much blood? And why was she running? More importantly, who was she running from?

Caramel eyes, wide with fright, looked past a blood torn shoulder blade and into the black void behind her. She could feel something stirring from the dark behind her. It was chasing her, she was certain of it.

While unaware of the surroundings in front of her, the toe of her boot suddenly came into contact with something, **hard**. She tripped, falling over the object and landing on her face and hands. She groaned, ignoring the pain in her scraped up palms as she pushed herself up to look at the object beside her.

A sword?

She pulled herself up in a sitting position, taking the sword by the hilt and lifting it just below eye level. She blinked, looking blankly at the length of the blade.

What was this sword?

It was some time before the tips of her numb finger detected warmth. It slid between her fingers and flowed beneath her bare legs. Her eyes dropped from the sword to her right hand planted on the ground, seeing the once snowy earth now as a sea of crimson.

She screamed, dropping the sword and jumping to her feet.

_Rrrrrrip!!_

The wound in her side tore open further. She became lightheaded, falling to her knees while clamping her hand over the deep gash. A ray of light in the distance caught her eye. She looked into it, barley make out the silhouette of a man in the center of the lighting.

"Help..." She coughed, blood spilling from her mouth as she fell face first into the blood bath.

She laid there, barley conscious. The sound of a '_splash'_, '_splash'_, '_splash'_, echoing in the distance. The noise slowly came closer. And closer. Finally, it stopped beside her. She felt two strong arms raise the upper half of her body up from the ground, one supporting the small of her back and the other rested just below her neck.

She opened her eyes, seeing a pair of sapphire blue eyed looking into hers.

"Cloud...?" She croaked, barley recognizing her own voice.

"You'll thank me for this……someday…."

Tifa was confused. She did not know if it was from the loss of blood or from the fact that she was dying in the arms of an angel, either way she felt as if she could rest in peace. Looking at him made heart ached, it felt almost as if she hadn't seen him in years. She wondered, when had he gotten so handsome?

"I had to come back one last time to tell you….. I had time to think things through while I was away. I'm sorry…. I was such a coward. That's why I decided that I want to make it up to you."

Never did she think she would live to see the day Cloud apologized, it all sounded so foreign coming from him mouth. She looked into his eyes, wondering if she really was dead.

"I want to make up for all those years," He said, looking at her with a strange glint in his eyes, "All that lost time...Tifa……"

Seeing his face draw closer to hers, Tifa closed her eyes allowing him to press his lips against hers. The kiss was very gentle. He handled her as if she were the most finest of porcelain, cupping her face in his hand with care. The kiss would have been perfect, were it not for all the blood.

Feeing something stir from inside her stomach, Tifa quickly pulled out of the kiss, pushing him aside as more of the red liquid rushed up her throat and out of her mouth.

How utterly romantic…..

She hovered over her aching stomach when her nostrils began to burn from copper streams that started to flow from them. She began to cough uncontrollably. It felt as if her windpipe was clogged with blood. This was bad. She couldn't breath! She needed air! She felt like she was going to choke on her own blood!

Her exhausted body went limp, causing her to fall sideways into the puddle which suddenly became an ocean that engulfed her. Feeling as though she were sinking, she struggled for quite some time before a hand reached from up above, stopping a few inches short of her face. She warily looked at the hand with distrust, feeling a strong sense of malice that seemed to glow with a black aurora. She blinked, or maybe the hand itself was black? It was then that she felt a sudden burn in her lungs, a friendly little reminder from her body that she could not breathe.

With some hesitation, she reached back for the hand which immediately locked over hers and pulled her back to the surface with one quick thrust. She landed roughly on her elbows and knees, taking a moment to catch her breath.

A very dark, rich laugh rumbled deeply beside her.

"Tifa... Why is it each time we meet I seem to find you in some sort of state of weakness?"

Her head shot up. A man in black cloak stood towering beside her, he watched her with brilliant green cat-like eyes before a devilish sort of smirk stretched across his lips.

"S-Sephiroth...!" She gasped.

He lowered his head in mockery of a respectful bow.

"My lady..."

She felt heat rise to her face as her blood began to boil. He had not referred to her as that since her days as a tour guide for Mt. Nibelheim.

"So quick to anger..." He said, reaching his hand into the crimson pool and pulling out the sword. Masamune.

Her eyes widened as she backed away, memories suddenly flooding into her mind.

Memories of a respectful gentleman, raising emerald green eyes in her direction.

A confused boy walking in silence down a mountain path.

A madman, setting fire to her hometown.

A demon, bashing the side of her head with the hilt of a sword.

A ghost, rising from beneath the floorboard of a cruise ship.

A murderer, smiling at the fall of an angel.

A prevaricator, fabricating the past of a confused puppet.

An empty shell, staring lifelessly as lifestream withdrew from his bloodied corps.

He studied his sword before flicking his wrist with a violent swing. Tifa closed her eyes, waiting for the final blow that would end her life but only felt warm droplets of blood splatter against her face. Slowly, she opened her eyes, hearing Masamune cried with a soft, _zing_ as Sephiroth placed it back into its sheath.

"You are of no threat to me." He stated with a hint of disappointment.

Confused, she looked up into his eyes, holding his gaze. What was this...sympathy? She would not have it. Slowly, she rose to her feet, tensing the muscles in her arms and legs as she made ready to battle.

"Stupid woman… Can you not see you're on the brink of death?"

Clenching her fists, she took off in a sprint towards him, ignoring her fatigued body as it screamed for mercy. She had to prove she one last good fight left in her. Sudden, shockwave of pain struck her skull and her head jerked back. Her body was begging to loose all feeling and the last thing she saw was the dark skies before her vision became clouded with white. Her body went lax before all at once hitting the ground.

A series of splashing was heard before she felt her body being lifted into the air with ease.

"Perhaps this carcass will be of use to us..."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Tifa shot up in bed, panting heavily as beads of sweat dripped down from the sides of her face. She looked down at the sheets bunched up beneath her clenched fists when a sickly feeling stirred in her stomach. She leaped out of bed, barley making it into the small restroom before all at once falling to her knees and throwing up in the toilet. She continued to lean against the glass bowl moments after she had finished. Her head was still queasy from vomiting.

Her nightmares were becoming more and more frequent. She couldn't close her eyes for a short nap during the day without being plagued by the same dream. And it was only in the last week or so that she would wake from her sleep with an urgency to vomit...

She stood to her feet, walking to her closet and snatching a warm black jacket before heading for the door.

'I shouldn't.' She thought, stopping with her hand frozen on the door handle, 'Cloud might catch me...'

She made her way to the window, opening it slowly before easing her way out onto the roof and down a drain pipe to the muddy ground. She looked behind her back to see if anyone was around. Everything seemed to be clear, so she power walked down the street and away from the bar. Burring her chin into the collar of her jacket, she exhaled deeply, a puff of white smoke drawing out from her mouth.

Tonight was especially chilly, figuring how winter was settling in.

She dug her hands into her pockets, stopping after some time at a bridge in the sector five slums. It was less than a year ago that she, Marlene, and Denzel would take this route to go grocery shopping and on the way back they would stop to see the last train for the day disappear into the tunnel below. The bridge would never fail to shake on the trains passing, and each time four pairs of hands would grip tightly onto the martial artist's waist. She didn't know why, but she rather enjoyed their clinginess to her. It made her feel needed; after all it had been a long time since she had to protect anyone.

She leaned against the railing of the bridge, her thoughts wondering to the events from earlier.

She felt rather foolish for her actions but it wasn't exactly Cloud's first time returning without mention of his departure. It happened time and time again after Sephiroth's defeat nearly five years ago. Once because he couldn't face the failures of his past, another time to mourn the loss of Aerith (which was finally sinking in to its fullest) and then there was that time Tifa was slightly too forward with her feeling for him, and so on….and so on……and….so on…… It was only recently that she had taken the latter of his departures a little more personal, considering the circumstance between them.

She shook her head, dismissing further thought of the matter. Anyway, what happened between them no longer mattered. His actions made that quite obvious. But, given time after the events she was able to recover surprisingly quickly, not that she wanted to mope around for Cloud forever because she didn't. It was just….very unlike her.

Tifa was not the type of person that could move on so quickly and deal with drastic changes in life. Maybe she was beginning to accept the harshness of reality, maybe she was growing up, whatever the case may be, it couldn't have came at a better time. Problems with Cloud's business began to arise. Customers were calling constantly asking when their purchases would arrive and if a certain mercenary was for hire. Soon after, Tifa began having nightmares. And not just nightmares, ******the** nightmare. The same one that woke her on this very night from her sleep. Yes, the dream about Sephiroth. She began to lose sleep which had a great affected on her work. Business for the Seventh Heaven began to drop rapidly.

Once on a slower than average day, she called Shera, telling her of this dream. Shera explained to Tifa that this dream was more than likely recurring because there was some sort of meaning behind it. Tifa asked her what could it mean and Shera, though not an expert, did her absolute best to interpret the nightmare.

She said the snow in the field could represent a clean slate, or the start of new events in the near future. Tifa struggling to escape from the dark could represent that she was still running from the past or possibly a deeper fear. The blood rising from the snow might have been an upbringing of fears and/or failures that could draw her away from the blessings of these new beginnings and Cloud being there could only further that meaning. The kiss could mean a possible end to their relationship, or a long goodbye and Shera guessed that Tifa falling into the sea of blood could only mean that the there stood a great chance that she would be affected by the event between her and Cloud.

Tifa found the interpretation to be quite good, though she could tell Shera was making wild guesses, almost everything was right on the nose. Except for one thing; Sephiroth. Why was he in the dream and why did he frighten her more than any of the other events in her nightmare? Shera became speechless and said rather lamely, 'maybe in a way you blame him for the lack in Cloud's relationship with you'. Tifa didn't know if she agreed or disagreed with her reasoning, but once she mentioned that she would wake up vomiting Shera became very concerned. She assured Tifa that if baby Cheri (her and Cid's daughter) was old enough she would visit Midgar for a couple of days to take care of her.

Yesterday afternoon, Yuffie showed up at the front porch of the Seventh Heaven with Wutaian herbs that were said to help relax the mind. Drugs, Tifa figured. Thank the gods for Shera for sending Yuffie to her, she could use drugs! Lots of them!

Tifa blinked, realizing not one train had passed since she first arrived. She wondered what time it was. It was then she realized the figure standing beside her. She frowned.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." She answered, "It's a little late to be going out for a walk, isn't it?"

"I suppose, Yuffie."

"Hmm... What are you doing out so late?"

"I could ask you the same."

"I followed you. So, what's your excuse?"

"I couldn't sleep. Why are you still up?"

"Oh, I dunno. Thought I heard someone puking their guts out at two in the morning."

"It's that late?"

"Yup!"

"Is Cloud…?"

"Still at the bar in his old room sleeping like a baby? Yes. I checked."

Tifa gave her a look.

"Hey! I'm not a pervert, ok!? I just had a few questions for him and he fell asleep before I could ask!"

Tifa smirked, looking back at the tracks.

"Sooo... What's so interesting about train tracks?"

"It relaxes me."

"Y'know you're really weird sometimes!"

Tifa laughed.

"I guess so. Sometimes the simplest things give me the warmest memories..."

"You live in the past a lot, ya noticed that?"

The martial artist looked to the shorted haired woman, somewhat shocked.

"What do you mean?"

"You're always saying, 'memories' this, 'memories' that. Why don't you live here and now?"

Tifa bit down on her lower lip, though she disagreed she took in the Ninja's criticism.

"No matter what happened in your past or how many times you screwed up, ya can't just keep reliving the good times. You gotta move on! Make new memories! Experience new kinds of feelings and highs! Cloud ain't the only guy out there, ya know!"

"Vincent's not either." Tifa retorted with a sly smile.

"Ack!!" Yuffie faltered, trying to shake off the burn in her cheeks, "Yeah-I-know! He's too old for me anyways! Hey!! We're not talking about me! We're talking about you and Cloud!! You've waited almost half your life for the guy and you're still not with him?"

"I know…. I'm over him."

"I--! You're what!?!"

"I'm over Cloud."

"Really!? Then why are you still working at the bar?" She asked, leaning against the rail.

Tifa shrugged.

"What else am I supposed to do?"

"Doesn't being at the bar remind you of him?"

"All the time."

"Then there's your problem!!" She exclaimed, "You gotta do something unexpected every once in a while! Even if you're not too sure how it will turn out! Just go for it!!"

Tifa stood upright, smiling warmly at the Ninja.

"Thanks Yuffie…." She said before walking off.

"No problem-o! Now! Since Cloud's sleeping I have a couple of questions I wanna ask you!" She said waving her index finger and turning to the raven haired woman, "One--!! Hey! Where'd you go!?"

She took a couple of steps away from the bridge, looking both her right and left for the martial artist.

"Gawd!!" She yelled, stomping her foot before slumping down against the pavement, "I still wanna know what happened between you and Cloud!!!!"

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Note : Ehhh... I don't like this chapter either. I enjoyed putting Sephiroth in, but it's so hard not to just rush to the scenes with them!

Uh oh! Yuffie giving advice! Is this a good or bad thing?

Please R&R if you enjoyed this chapter! Can't blame you if you didn't though...


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